By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Barely 24 hours after they started trending, the wife of the Anambra State Governor and Founder of the Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo initiative, Dr. (Mrs.) Frances Nonye Soludo, has dismissed as false and mischievous the claims made by Senator Uche Lilian Ekwunife, the APC Deputy Governorship Candidate, in her recent outburst against the Governor and his wife.
Recall that Senator Ekwunife, in a trending video over the week, had launched a scathing attack on Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, describing him as “the dirtiest Governor in Africa” and further alleging that his wife, Nonye Soludo, once worked in the administration of former Anambra Governor, late Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, among other claims.
The former Anambra Central Senator, Ekwunife, in the video, also ridiculed the governor over his personal hygiene, even advising his wife to “buy him deodorant and mouthwash” for him.
However, reacting through a press statement issued by her media aide, Daniel Ezeigwe, on Wednesday, Mrs. Soludo described Ekwunife’s remarks as malicious falsehoods aimed at misleading the public and inciting hate. She stated categorically that at no point did she (Mrs. Soludo) work with or hold any role under the Mbadinuju administration.
“To bring clarity to light and to ensure that unsuspecting members of the public — especially Ndi Anambra who hold the Soludos in the highest esteem — do not get misled by false information, we wish to establish that at no point did the wife of the Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nonye Soludo, work or was involved in any role in the administration of Ex-Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju,” the statement read.
The statement further added that Mrs. Soludo was already an established entrepreneur during that period, and was dedicatedly building her career at the University of Nigeria Nsukka then while her husband was a lecturer there, and thus had no involvement whatsoever in the politics or government of the time.
While describing Ekwunife as “erratic senator” given to pettiness and contrivance, the statement expressed disappointment that rather than focusing on issues-based politics, the APC Deputy Governorship Candidate resorted to name-calling and fabrication of lies against a woman who has never been involved in any partisan/political or personal squabbles with her.
“It is sad that Senator Ekwunife would rather resort to inciting hate and name-calling against a woman who is widely loved by the people. The truth is that, unlike Ekwunife herself, the governor’s wife can never be drawn to political or personal debasement,” the statement added.
Ezeigwe further noted that Mrs. Soludo has carved a niche for herself as a compassionate and passionate advocate for women and children, whose work under the Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo campaign has earned her admiration and respect across the state.
The statement also reminded Senator Ekwunife of the legal consequences of slander and warned her to desist from making defamatory remarks. It challenged her to instead provide verifiable proofs of her academic certificates, which have come under public scrutiny following allegations from multiple quarters that her degree and PhD may be fake.
“We urge Senator Ekwunife to stop swinging the conversation and focus solely on explaining to Ndi Anambra her involvement in the political disaster of the state between 1999 and 2003,” the statement concluded, warning her to desist from throwing stones at others.
The rebuttal comes amid a heated political season in Anambra ahead of the November 8 governorship election, where Ekwunife is running as the deputy to Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu under the APC platform.
